


Space Raised

by luckypixi



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Break Up, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mission Fic, Pregnancy, Raising a baby, Relationship Issues, mckirk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-31
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2018-02-15 14:19:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2232189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luckypixi/pseuds/luckypixi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before the Five Year Mission, Jim and Bones break up. When Starfleet orders the Enterprise to look into an abandoned Medical Research Facility, which specialised in reproduction methods, Jim, now with Carol, leads his team down. When an accident occurs, their lives turn upside down and when Carol drops another surprise, can Jim and Bones pull together to raise their child properly?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first Star Trek multi-chapter fic : )
> 
> I hope you enjoy this one, I've got it all planned out; angsty, fluffy, action...
> 
> Please review and let me know what you think...
> 
> Let me just point out, I like Carol as a character...the way I write her just fits better for this fic...
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Onwards...

'So, Bones; tell us about this place.'

Jim Kirk leaned back in his seat at the head of the table and looked at the Doctor, who looked through the notes on his PADD.

'It's an abandoned medical research station, Lexus 6. Decommissioned forty years ago by the United States Government who decided the research funding was better off served somewhere else.' He paused.

'What were they researching, Doctor?' Asked Spock, looking at the small planetoid on the vid-screen.

'They were primarily focussed on fertility treatments and exploring new methods of reproduction. Both humans and otherwise.' Bones told the Vulcan, who nodded and continued to study the screen.

'Right.' Jim swiped his PADD and a picture of the facility came up on the screen. 'So, we've got orders to take a look around, secure the place. Apparently there's a Study that Starfleet Medical would love to get their hands on if we find it-'

'That's an understatement' Muttered Bones; Starfleet Medical had been after this Study for years. An experimental machine used to speed up rates of reproduction; no evidence suggested it really existed, but there were rumours that the Doctor's had actually succeeded. It was considered the Holy Grail of medical research.

'So, Spock, Carol, Bones, Sulu, Uhura and I will be beaming down for this one, Scotty has the Conn.' Jim told his team. Scotty nodded, winking at Chekov; the young Russian smiled back; he liked having the Helm to himself.

The Captain glanced over at Carol, who was seated a few seats down the table. She smiled back, eyelashes batting.

Bones rolled his eyes. He felt sorry for the girl really; she really was besotted with the Captain. He himself had found out that nothing ever really lasted when Jim Kirk was involved; He and Jim had been together throughout the Academy and beyond, until just after he had brought Jim back from the dead after the Khan Incident. Jim had decided to cool it off, to take a break, and find his Space Legs again. Then promptly hooked up with Carol Marcus. As far as Bones was concerned, they were welcome to each other. He should've known really; once bitten, twice shy. He wouldn't be making the same mistake a third time.

He cleared his throat as Jim and Carol continued locking eyes like Shakespearian lovers. When they first got together she'd acted like the cat that'd got the cream. She made sure they all knew, especially him, who was with who. And she wasn't about to let him forget.

'Is that all, Jim?' he asked. 'Only, I got patients.'

Jim nodded. 'Meet us in the Transporter Room at 09.00'

Bones nodded. That gave him a little over an hour. 'Aye aye, Captain.'

-x-

'Do you think they did it, Sir?' asked Christine Chapel as Bones collected various medical instruments to take with him. Bones looked at her.

A young nurse, only about twenty five, Christine had white-blonde, short hair, which she liked to spike up, a New York accent and a nice smile, which Bones and his patients greatly appreciated. She was currently undertaking her Medical Degree, supervised by himself. She'd make a fine CMO someday.

'I don't know, Chris.' He finished packing. 'I think that if they had, we would've known about it. Why would they shut it down if we had the technology to do that?'

Christine nodded and smoothed down her skirt. 'Good luck, Sir.' She smiled. She knew how much he hated Beaming anywhere. Bones nodded.

'Don't have too much fun without me' he warned as he walked out, waving to M'Benga, who was acting CMO whilst Bones was gone.

-x-

'Ready?' Jim asked as he climbed up to the Transporter Pad. Bones nodded, looking straight ahead.

'As I'll ever be with this damned machine' he growled under his breath. He arched an eyebrow when Scotty sent a wink his way. He and Scotty were good friends, both on and off shift.

'Energise.' Jim told Scotty, linking hands with Carol, who was stood next to him. Scotty almost laughed out loud at the expression on the Doctor's face as he disappeared into atoms.

-x-

Sulu looked around. 'Wow.' He breathed. 'This is amazing.'

'Starfleet Medical don't do things by halves.' Bones told him. The research station was top of the range, in pristine condition. White marble buildings under a dome which housed perfect Earth conditions. It was home away from home.

'Yeah, but I expected something…different.' Sulu looked around again. The place was deserted, but it had a homey, academic feel to it.

'It hasn't been utilised in over forty years.' Bones explained as they walked forwards. He took out his identification card, which attached to a hook on his belt. This card would open every single door on the Enterprise, a fair few doors back in San Francisco and all the doors here. Not even Jim would have access to this facility; there were a few perks to being CMO of the Flagship. He scanned it down the small scanning slot by the side of the handle. The little light turned green and he pushed the handle.

'Don't panic.' He told the group as a whole as he stood facing them, closing his eyes, hands behind his back. He held his breath. They all eyed him as if he'd gone mad.

Jim gaped at him. 'Uh, Bones….what are you doing?'

'I'd close your mouth if I were you, Jim.' Bones told him.

Jim did as he was told and just in time too. Uhura and Carol let out a little squeal, Sulu a gasp when they were all suddenly covered in a freezing liquid, which quickly fuzzed up into foam. It covered them from head to foot.

'Decontamination, Captain.' Spock told him, ears poking through the foam covering his face.

'Right'

A warm liquid was now being squirted at them, soaking into their uniforms.

'I'd hold onto your skirts now, girls' Bones warned as an industrial strength blower started up, blowing their clothes dry.

Finally, the onslaught stopped. Bones waited a few moments before opening his eyes.

'Sorry' he told Jim, who was patting down Carol's hair gently. 'Should've warned you'

Carol shot him a venomous look, and shook her head. Jim gave him a look, but didn't say anything.

It had all been a bit fractured between them from the start of the Five Year Mission; he'd spend more time with Spock than he had with Jim. Even started to get quite good at 3D chess.

Leading the way, Bones walked down the corridor; they were in a deserted foyer, a reception desk on their right. He had looked up the way to the laboratory back in his office; he knew where he was going.

'What kind of methods?' Uhura asked him as they turned right and walked down a darkened hallway.

'Of artificial reproduction?' Bones sighed. It wasn't really an area which he specialised in. 'Mainly, remember this was over forty years ago, because back then, not a lot of women wanted research posts off planet. Off in far flung places like this, people, Doctors got posted here for thirty plus years. Old Doctors were dying and not enough were being Transported in to replace them.'

Bones took a right down through a ward. 'So, they came up with a machine that one person could use, to reproduce their DNA and make a child. Or two men, two women, whatever…' Bones waved his hand. 'There's no documentation that they managed to do it, but it's well known it was what they were tryin' to do.'

Jim nodded, intrigued. He felt Carol squeeze his hand. He smiled and gently extracted his hand from hers. Bones watched as Carol grabbed his wrist, pulling him to a stop.

'I need to talk to you. Privately' Bones heard her urgently whisper. He and the others stopped when Spock realised the Captain was not with the group.

'Captain?'

'Later' Jim told Carol, who frowned and nodded, following Jim back to the group.

Bones took another right and they came to a door. He pulled out his ID card again.

'Have you worked here before, Doctor McCoy?' Carol asked him in clipped tones as they came to a stop around him.

'..No' Bones told her, swiping his card 'Why?'

'You seem to know an awful lot about it. And you have a key to a lot of their private doors.' She told him, eyes suspicious.

'I know a lot about it because Jim asked me to look into it.' Bones looked at the Captain. 'And I have a key to the doors because I'm a Starfleet Chief Medical Officer. But I would've thought you'd know that by now.'

Carol opened her mouth ready to say something else, but Bones had already turned away and opened the door.

They all filed in, and Jim ran his hand across the wall, clicking a button he found there. The lights came on, illuminating the room.

Bones looked around in awe. 'My God…' he breathed. It was a Research Doctors paradise.

There were rows of computer terminals, research labs, books on every wall, both real and automated, lab equipment, tricorders and even an operating simulator table.

'Jeeze, Bones.' Jim grinned, slapping him on the back. Bones tried not to notice that his hand lingered more than it should've done. 'This place is awesome.'

'If you like medical equipment, I guess.' Carol offered, casting bored eyes around the room.

Bones ignored her, moving forwards to a computer. Jim moved towards the equipment table.

Bones clicked into the most recent research document and scanned through it. It looked like a prototype for something, a new piece of equipment. He looked through its complicated specs.

His eyes widened. 'My God, they actually did it.' He muttered, catching Spock's attention.

'Did what?'

'Says here they built a prototype model of the reproduction machine.' Bones told him, breathing fast; this could me a major breakthrough. 'They ran out of funding before they could make more.'

He didn't notice what Jim was doing. 'Say, Bones.' Called the Captain, tinkering with a fingertip pad on the side of a machine. 'What does this one do?'

'Huh?' Bones looked up. His eyes widened. 'Jim! Don't touch that.'

Jim didn't hear him…there was something written on the pad. 'Place whole hand here.' He read.

'Jim!'

Jim looked up, hand hovering. Bones near on ran up to him. 'Don't touch anything.' The doctor told him, grabbing his arm and pulling him away. 'You don't know what any of it does.'

'I really can't get over how you let him speak to you.' Carol told Jim, who was looking at the machine again. 'It's insubordination.'

'Look, sweetheart, Jim would probably be dead somewhere if I wasn't around to tell him not to touch things.'

'Yeah…' Jim nodded, eyes focussed on the machine. Carol huffed.

'Well, I think it should be stopped.'

'Uh, Bones….is that supposed to light up?' Jim asked, forestalling the argument.

'I told you not to touch it!'

'I didn't!' protested Jim, holding his hands up in the air. 'I swear!'

'You swear?' Carol mimicked, 'What are you, his Captain or his nurse?'

Jim gave her a look, hand wavering, He took a step back as a precaution. He swore as his foot hit the table leg. He pitched backwards, left arm flailing.

'Jim!' Bones reached to grab him. Jim put his hand down heavily. Right on the handprint pad.

'No!' Bones grabbed at his hand, linking his fingers with the Captain's to tear his hand away, but it was too late.

Sulu looked wide eyed at the machine. 'Is it supposed to do that?'

The machine had lit up, an initiation sequence playing out.

'DNA Sequence verified…DNA sequence verified….'

Bones paled. 'Oh shit.'

'DNA merging complete…DNA merging complete…'

He looked at Jim, who looked wide eyed at the machine. There was a small noise, like a coffee machine finishing and a lot of mist. At the back of the machine there was a small incubator, bathed in a dark red light. There was something moving in it. Jim, Carol and Bones moved over to it, Sulu, Uhura and Spock not far behind them.

'Bones…'

'Yeah, Jim?'

'Is that…is that a…'

'Yeah, Jim.'

Bones took a deep breath before he looked down into the incubator.

'Oh shit.' Muttered Jim, pointedly not looking at Carol.

Bones lifted the small baby out of the incubator.

Spock moved over, Uhura close to his side.

'Congratulations, Doctor, Captain' said the Vulcan.

'It's a boy.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Carol has a big surprise for Jim, a name is given and Bones starts to deal with the fallout

When they rematerialized on the Enterprise no one said a word. Sulu and Uhura exchanged a glance.

'Captain!' Scotty exclaimed, rushing forwards ' The computer picked up an extra molecular set this time round, I don't know-'

'It's ok, Scotty. We know what it is.' Jim told him.

Scotty's eyes travelled to the sleeping baby nestled against Bones's chest, wrapped up in his blue medical tunic. His eyes widened.

'What the bloody hell is that!?'

'That' is a baby.' Bones told him, rolling his eyes. His moved his arm to better cradle the baby, who snuffled into the sleeve of his black undershirt.

'Aye, but Doctor, babies don't just grow on trees!' The Scot told him.

Bones' eyebrow nearly disappeared into his hair.

'Oh, really?' the Doctor exclaimed. 'Gee, I must've missed that lesson at med school.' Scotty gaped at him as he walked off the Pad.

Jim watched him, 'Uh, Bones…where are you going?' he asked, acutely aware everyone was watching him.

'To Medbay.' Bones told him, peering down at the bundle in his arms. 'Gotta check him over and as far as I know there are no lactating females aboard the ship. Little guy's gotta be hungry.'

Jim nodded and made to follow him, but Carol caught his arm. 'Where are you going?' she asked, eyes wide. Her face was pale and she brushed her blonde hair from her face.

'I gotta go…need to go with-' Jim's mouth gaped like a fish as he pointed, but Carol wouldn't let go of his arm.

'I've got something to tell you. I didn't want to tell you like this' Carol took a deep breath. Jim eyed her warily, Bones hanging by the doorway.

'Jim…I'm pregnant.'

Jim let out a surprised shout. 'Oh…' he scratched the back of his head. 'That's uh…that's…great. Wow.'

Carol smiled and threw herself into his arms, Jim too stunned to move. Bones felt his stomach crash into the floor. He walked quickly out the door before Jim could say anything else.

-x-

'Uh…sir?'

Bones gave Christine a look and put the baby down on a biobed. He looked down at the little boy. His son. Small tufts of blonde hair haloed his head, small fingers flexing. When he was awake earlier he had the biggest hazel eyes Bones had ever seen. A perfect mix of Jim and himself.

'Where did you find him?'

'Captain Idiot touched something he shouldn't've done' Bones told her, running the tricorder over the infant. 'Damn fool started a machine and I tried to stop him, Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt' Bones gestured towards the sleeping boy. 'Baby'

'Wow…congratulations?' she offered.

Bones ran a tired hand down his face. 'Thanks…'

The door to sickbay flung open. 'Bones!' yelled Jim, striding forwards.

This startled the baby awake and he started crying immediately. His little face flushed and he balled his fists up, lungs heaving as he screamed. Bones sighed, but didn't say anything. He'd done this before. He took the baby into his arms gently and hushed him.

'Shh…don't cry, darlin'… your dad's just got a big mouth, is all.'

Jim stayed quiet and just watched. 'Bones, what the hell are we going to do? I can't have a baby!'

'By the sounds of it, you're gonna have two' Bones told him over the baby's screams. 'Congratulations, by the way.'

'Shut up' Jim told him, sitting down heavily on a chair. Christine moved away, leaving the trio alone.

Bones watched him as he gently shook their baby. Now Jim looked younger than ever, much more the Jim he had fallen in love with years ago. He looked stunned, numb.

Bones wondered where Carol was right now.

He knelt down in front of the Captain, the baby having fallen back asleep.

'Hey' he whispered. He reached out and gripped Jim by the knee. 'It's not all bad.'

Jim scoffed, looking at the floor. 'Not all bad?' he repeated.

Bones shook his head. 'It was an accident; no use cryin' over it now. It's done.'

Jim looked at him, eyes wide as the baby snuffled in Bones' arms.

Bones watched as Jim studied the kid, as his mind worked. He raised the baby in his arms.

'Here you go' he said before he maneuvered the baby into Jim's arms.

'Bones, I…' spluttered Jim, but some sort of instinct must've taken over because the Captain moved his arms to accommodate his son, cradling his head gently. The baby didn't stir, just continued to slumber.

'He's tiny.' Jim murmured, touching his finger against a tiny hand. He smiled when the baby captured the end of it.

Bones looked at the readings on his equipment. 'Newborn.' He agreed. He looked down at the pair.

'We need to think of a name' he mused.

Jim's head shot up again. 'A name?'

'Well, yeah.' Bones knelt down on the floor again and ran a hand through the infants blonde hair. 'Unless you wanna call him 'Baby' all his life?'

Jim looked down at his son. 'What about…Oliver…? No, I don't like that…'

'You know,' Bones said, 'If me and Joce had a boy, we were gonna call him Daniel.'

Jim thought about it. 'Daniel Oliver…Kirk?' he asked, looking at the Doctor.

Bones smiled. 'Kirk-McCoy' he amended. Jim smiled back.

'Hello, Daniel Kirk-McCoy.' He said to his son. Daniel slept on. Bones raised an eyebrow when Jim sniffed.

'He smells…different…' he said.

Bones chuckled, 'That's the newborn smell; you'll miss it when it's gone.'

Bones felt protectiveness and love unfurl within him as it had when Joanna was born. He wondered if Jim felt the same.

After a few moments, Jim broke the silence.

'Carol's mad. Real mad.' He said, not looking at Bones. 'She wanted to tell me about the pregnancy tonight. Announce it to the crew tomorrow.'

Bones nodded, looking at Daniel. 'It was an accident. No need to be mad; there's nothing we can do about it now. There's gonna be two babies on board and that's that.'

Jim groaned and buried his head into Bone's shoulder. Bones patted him on the back, rubbing his arms comfortingly.

'Jim.'

Jim looked up as Carol spoke, the science officer looking sullen. She didn't look at Daniel. Her eyes were shining as if she'd been crying.

'Are you coming back to our quarters?' she asked, ignoring Bones. 'We need to talk.'

Jim looked at Bones and then back down to Daniel. 'Yeah…' he muttered, 'Bones…could you?'

'Sure.' Bones gently scooped Daniel up, resting his head on his shoulder.

Jim looked guiltily back at him as he followed Carol out the ward. As the door closed Bones just shook his head, sitting back in the chair Jim had vacated.

What a mess.

Christine tentatively walked over, a small brown bag in her hands. 'Baby stuff' she said, setting it down on the bed. Bones nodded tiredly.

'Thanks'

Christine nodded. She looked down at Daniel.

'He's cute. Like his Dad'

Bones snorted, thankful for the joke. 'Think very carefully before you say which one' he warned, standing up and picking up the bag.

Christine smiled at him.

'Geoff ok to be on shift for a while?'

'We got it covered, sir.' Christine promised.

Bones nodded in thanks and walked out the door. As he walked down the corridor he noticed he was attracting odd looks. But he didn't care.

This is not how he had imagine today would've gone. If only Jim hadn't touched the machine… But now the little guy was here.

He sighed, punching in the access code to his room. He looked down at Daniel. It didn't matter how it happened. It happened. Now he had to deal with it. With or without Jim.

His door opened and he walked in, the lights coming on automatically.

'Doctor.'

Bones wasn't surprised to see Carol here. He just sighed, put down the bag, sat down on his sofa and nestled Daniel against his chest.

'I'm sorry.' He said, before Carol opened her mouth.

'I don't care.' Carol told him. 'Jim and I are having a baby.'

Bones nodded in understanding, feeling his heart speed up in suppressed anticipation of an argument.

'Jim and I love each other. We're going to be a family. We don't need this.'

'I'm not stopping you, darlin''. Bones told her, glancing down when Daniel sneezed. Carol showed no reaction.

'I don't doubt you love him. But you need to accept Daniel. He and your little'un are gonna be half-siblings. I don't wanna to fight you' He was a grown man, already had another child; they needed to deal with this situation as adults.

'Our baby and yours are going to have nothing to do with each other. And if you think we're raising our baby in space, you need to think again.' Carol told him.

Bones blinked. 'Jim said that?'

Carol looked shifty. 'Jim will come with me. He doesn't know I'm here talking to you. But I know he'll agree. We need to raise our child together. As parents.'

'Ah.' Bones understood; Carol needed to set down the rules, to make sure Bones understood that he and his son meant nothing. Carol's child was the most important. He swallowed his anger; it was a natural reaction, a mother's instinct to protect her child.

'I think you need to leave.' He told her, standing up. He shifted Daniel in his arms for better hold. 'I'm sure you need to rest.'

Carol shot him a venomous look, eyes narrowed. She left the room in silence.

Bones listened to the quietness of the room. To Daniel's little huffs of breath.

'Well, kiddo.' He looked down at his son.

'Looks like it's just you and me, darlin'.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bones gets no sleep, Carol prepares for her first scan and Jim starts to panic

'Ok, Daniel…if you do that again tonight, I'm sending you to sleep with your other Daddy.'

Bones looked down at the big brown eyes staring up at him. Apparently, Daniel was the type of baby who thought sleep was for the weak. After a small cat-nap comprising all of fifteen minutes, little Daniel was wide awake all night, screaming for most of it.

While Bones was practised in the art of pacing up and down a room singing nursery rhymes, he had a lot more to do work-wise than he had when Joanna was little; the paperwork on his desk wasn't going to fill itself out. He'd almost forgotten the sound of ear-splitting screaming and screeching in the middle of the night and had gotten used to nice quiet nights by himself. But he supposed he wasn't unaccustomed to lack of sleep; two years as a Medical Resident and as CMO of this tin-can, days could easily blend into each other.

Daniel looked up at him, little hands flailing around on the Doctor's bed sheet as Bones tried to gather all his nappy things together. Dressed in a green baby-grow which had the Starfleet logo in the middle of it, Daniel kicked his little legs, face growing red. He let out a little whimper, blue eyes shutting. Big fat tears formed at the edge of his eyes. His fingers clenched open and closed as he scrunched his face up, a scream erupting from him.

Bones sighed and knelt down on the floor so he was opposite his son 'You know,' he said conversationally, as he undid the poppers on the bottom of his baby-grow and gently pulled it off, 'If you went to sleep when you're supposed to, darlin, we wouldn't be havin' this trouble now.' He reached out a hand and ran it through Daniel's hair; it stiiled the crying and the little boy leaned into the touch. Bones smiled and leaned down to press a raspberry onto his stomach. Daniel let out a little giggle and squirmed. The Doctor chuckled and quickly changed his nappy, disposing of the dirty one.

'Come on then.' He gently picked Daniel up, cradling him against his chest. 'We gotta find you more clothes. And some more bottles. And some more nappies' Bones looked down at his son and rolled his eyes fondly. He was fast asleep.

'Typical.' He muttered, as he exited his quarters. 'Just like your father.' Jim could stay awake for days at a time before just suddenly falling asleep. Bones had once found him asleep in the bath-tub back at the Academy.

Making his way down the corridor he was careful to shield Daniel from knocks and bumps from his fellow crew-members rushing past him. Again, he got a few funny looks, but most of them smiled and nodded at him, passing on their way. Bones supposed it was a rarity to have such a young child on-board a Starship. Daniel would be a novelty for a while.

Bones punched in his access code to the Store Deck; anything and everything was stored here, from medical supplies, food/water rations, clothes, hygiene essentials. Everything anyone would ever need in the five years they'd be away from home.

'Come on' he said, looking down at his slumbering son. 'Let's go get your gladrags on.'

-x-

'Captain, we're sixteen hours out from the intended planetoid.'

'Thank you, Spock'

Jim nodded to his First Officer, who moved back to his station. The atmosphere on the Bridge was a bit strained; no-one knew how to approach the Daniel situation; how Jim would take it if they pried into his business; Carol hadn't been seen on the Bridge since the previous day; her station was being filled by Ensign Brown today.

They knew there would be no chance of them heading back to Earth; already nearly a year into Uncharted Space, going back would be waste of time. They had the supplies if a pregnancy should happen. The Enterprise could cope. Although the births would have to be registered as soon as possible with Starfleet Command.

Jim sat staring at the Space in front of him, his mind racing. He could work this out. He had to. He couldn't let this affect his capacity as Captain. Carol had barely looked at him since they had spoken yesterday evening. He had spent the night on the couch, thinking. She was angry and upset, of course she was; to a point, so was he. His life was now changed forever. He had so much to do, so much left to see. Sure, he had the responsibility of over 700 lives on this ship every day, but this was different. This was personal, his life. Two children. How could he have two children? He scoffed at himself; he was being overdramatic: Bones' life was changed now as well. He didn't ask for this either; and he'd been left holding the baby. Jim sighed and stood up, moving over to talk to Sulu about their heading. Anything to take his mind of his quickly spiralling situation.

-x-

'So, I'll see you tomorrow, Carol.' Geoff smiled at Carol from the other side of his desk. 'I'll be able to date the pregnancy and we'll take it from there.'

Carol smiled and rubbed his stomach; this morning she could swear she felt a small bump forming. 'Thank you, Doctor' she said, standing up. 'Will you be able to tell the sex?'

Geoff opened the door for her, 'Depending on the length of pregnancy, maybe. Will the Captain be joining us?'

Carol shrugged. 'I'm not sure.' She said. She hadn't seen him this morning since he had left for his shift. Walking back into the main Sickbay she watched McCoy walk in towards her through the double doors.

He had Daniel in a baby-carrier strapped over his chest, his head supported with a small blue blanket; a small head covered in blonde hair poked out the top. He had large bag of what she supposed were baby things in one his hands, a large bundle of paperwork under his other arm. He looked tired.

Bone stopped as he saw her, unsure. His nurses, who had walked forward to greet him, moved away quickly.

Carol sucked in a deep breath and walked forwards. 'Doctor McCoy' she greeted.

Bones nodded in return. 'Carol.'

Daniel chose that moment to let out some trapped wind. Bones looked down, eyes wide.

Carol couldn't help the surprised smile that shot to her face. 'Hello to you, too.' She said to the baby, who slept on. She looked back to McCoy, who was watching her reactions. There was no reason not to be civil with each other. After the conversation they had last night, they both knew how the other felt. Not much had changed in the few hours since then.

'There's plenty of post-natal equipment left in storage.' He informed her, holding up the bag. 'It's amazing how much is down there.'

'Better to be prepared.' Carol agreed. 'You never know when something…unexpected will happen'.

They were silent for a while. She looked back at the CMO's office. 'Dr M'Benga is going to scan me tomorrow.' She told him conversationally, as the atmosphere turned awkward.

'Good…that's great, Carol. Dating?' Bones slipped easily back into Doctor-mode.

'Mmm-hmm.' Carol looked down at Daniel. She had seen his big brown eyes the day before, a part of McCoy. The little boy had McCoy's facial shape as well. Her heart beat faster as she recognised parts of Jim in him; his hair, his nose. His little ears. Would her baby share those traits? Would the half-sibling look familiar, like full siblings? She was supposed to give this to Jim, the wonder of seeing parts of yourself passed down to another, someone you had created. She had wanted to see Jim's face light up as he held his child for the first time, see him cry in happiness.

Blinking back tears, she looked back at Bones. The doctor looked at her, his hazel eyes full of understanding. She couldn't hold his eye contact for long.

'I'd best get inside' he said, motioning to his office. 'Paperwork.'

'Of course' she replied absently, turning to wipe her tears away. She mumbled something like a goodbye and walked out of Sickbay.

She didn't look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to comments that I've received about the last chapter, I'd just like to point a few things out (again)  
> I like Carol Marcus as a character; I am not trying to "demonise" her as a woman; I want to show she is a multi-dimensional, emotive character who has lots of different sides to her personality; this is a very unusual situation and I'm trying to portray her and the other characters with the emotions I believe they would experience; I'm not saying I'm right in this way, but please remember this is just a fanfic.  
> Thanks! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bones almost has a breakdown and Jim gets some bonding time with Daniel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I hope you enjoy this chapter, lots of babytime with Jim and Daniel.   
> Please leave a comment, I'd love to know your opinions on this!

Bones made his way slowly through the corridors, Daniel nestled in his arms. Diaper freshly changed, his son was sleeping quietly, emitting small snuffles every now and then. He felt his eyes droop as he walked. Twelve hours sleep in three days was not enough. Daniel was definitely not a sleeper. Not at night, anyway. The moment he dropped a Tricorder onto the face of an Ensign who had come in to have his broken nose fixed, Bones knew it was time to act.

Coming to a stop in front of the metal door, Bones pressed the buzzer; Jim had changed the access code the day after they split up.

The door opened and Jim stood there, looking at him quizzically. 'Hey Bones,' he said, 'are you okay?'

'No.' Bones told him. 'I'm not. Can I come in?'

'Yeah, sure.' Jim moved out the way to let the Doctor pass, watching as his ex gently put his son down on the couch, sitting next to him. He looked awful, thought Jim as he sat opposite them.

'What's up?' he asked, rubbing the back of his head. He looked down at Daniel, his little chest rising and falling in time with his breaths.

'You need to take him for a while.'

Jim felt the bottom fall out his stomach and his face pale. 'What?' he stammered. 'Why?'

'I can't do this much longer,' Bones told him, 'I can't function on twelve hours sleep in three days.' He rubbed at one red eye. 'One thing I learnt with Joanna was that you admit when you need help. He's half you.' He said blandly. 'You need to take him for a shift, at least. I need to sleep or I'm gonna fall over.'

Jim sat back in his seat, stomach churning. He looked back down at his sleeping son. How hard could it be? Carol wasn't due back until after Alpha shift. After her scan two days ago revealed they were having a healthy baby boy in just over eight months, Carol had resumed her normal work station until her maternity leave kicked in. They had mutually decided to keep the news to themselves; neither of them were ready for the whole ship to know just yet.

'Sure,' he smiled, holding out his arms. 'I'll take him for a while.'

Bones eyed his skeptically. He'd expected Jim to put up more of a fight. Gingerly, he picked up his son and gently placed him in his father's waiting arms. Daniel squirmed a little, but stayed asleep.

'I'll be back in while,' Bones told him, standing up a little unsteadily. 'You sure this is okay?'

'Yeah,' Jim waved his hand. 'We'll have a great time.' He was too busy looking down at the bundle in his arms.

Bones nodded, running a hand down his face. Leaning down to press a kiss to Daniel's forehead, he nodded at Jim and exited the room, gratefully looking forward to a long, uninterrupted sleep.

-x-

Two hours later, and Jim understood exactly how hard it could be.

Daniel balled his little hands into fists, his scream splitting the air.

'Oh, come on!' breathed Jim as he jiggled him up and down, patting his back. 'I thought babies were supposed to sleep all the time, not scream so loud the Klingon's could hear you!'

Daniel hiccupped and stopped himself crying, brown eyes opened wide as Jim spoke.

Jim studied him. 'So you like listening, do you?' he mused, carding his fingers through his son's blonde hair. Big brown eyes continued to stare at him. A little hand reached out and clasped onto Jim's fingers; Jim felt his heart leap a little.

Jim opened his mouth to say something else, his little finger stroking the material on Daniel's clothes. What did you say to a baby? Anything? Talk like a baby? Could they understand adult speak?

Obviously, his thinking was taking too long, because Daniel's face flushed red again and he started crying, kicking his little legs against Jim's right forearm.

'Okay, okay!' he cried, resuming his jiggling. 'What do you want to know?' he asked, pacing the room, patting his son gently on the back. 'Warp Core Theory? The Federation Treaty? All the guff they teach you back at the Academy which you never have to use in real life? I mean, Typography!' Jim pressed a kiss into his son's hair as he gabbled on, 'Unless you're a Typographer, when are you gonna use that?'

Daniel gurgled back at him, and Jim shifted him so his head was nestled on his shoulder, supporting him against his bottom with his arm. He could hear his son breathing; sweet little huffs he felt tickle his ear. It was an amazing feeling, filling him up. Jim smiled. When did he become so emotional?

He felt Daniel tense up, his little body shuddering.

'What's up, buddy?' he asked, looking down awkwardly. He opened his mouth to say something else when Daniel let out a burp and something warm trickled down his back.

Jim tensed up, eyes wide in alarm. Then the smell hit him.

'Thanks, Daniel. That's just great…really brilliant' He gingerly lifted his son down from his shoulder, wincing as the vomit cooled and filtered through to his skin. Daniel looked up at him, brown eyes wide and innocent.

Jim studied him. 'I bet you feel better now, huh?' he smiled and wiped a little vomit from his son's chin away. He craned his neck and looked at his tunic. 'Well, at least you can match colours,' he told his son. 'Yellow on yellow.'

He put his son on the couch, and quickly stripped off his yellow command shirt, leaving him in his white undershirt.

'Let's do something that doesn't involve puking on Daddy, shall we?' he asked, grinning down at him.

Jim knelt down in front of him, watching his every movement. Daniel's eyes were beginning to droop, his leg and arm kicking getting less erratic. Jim watched in fascination as his son fell asleep, eyes moving gently behind their lids, mouth slightly open. He could hear him breathing.

Jim felt like he could just sit there for hours, watching him sleep.

So he did.

-x-

When Bones arrived three hours later, Jim had to admit; he looked a lot better than he did before.

'How was he?' the Doctor asked, looking down at their son, who looked back up at the pair of them from Jim's arms.

'No problem, 'Jim told him proudly. 'Was good as anything.'

Bones smiled and sniffed the air. 'I can tell he left you a present.'

Jim snorted. 'Let's just say, I threw the shirt down the chute.'

Bones chuckled and held his arms out to Jim to hand over Daniel. Jim did so, slowly.

Bones noticed his hesitation. 'Jim,' he said 'You're his father as well. I'm not gonna stop you seeing him. Not ever. Okay?'

Jim felt his skin flush. 'Thanks' he mumbled. 'You promise?'

Bones felt his heart break a little. It was times like this he was reminded how young Jim actually was.

'Promise.'

'See you soon, little guy' Jim smiled down at his son, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek. 'Real soon.'

Bones nodded and moved to the door. 'Thanks again, Jim.' He said, as Jim walked him out. 'I mean it.'

'Drop him round whenever you like.' Jim told him, touching his son's hair.

Bones nodded and turned away, walking back towards Medical.

Jim just hoped he would be back soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Senior Bridge Team has the first meeting since Daniel arrived, Nyota shares what she thinks with Bones and Carol has another surprise for Jim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, I sort of lost my muse with this one.  
> Thank you for reading so far, and please leave a comment- I'd love to know what you think!

'So, how're things going? With Jim, I mean.'

Bones looked up from the paperwork he was filling in. Nyota was sat on his office couch, Daniel gurgling happily in her arms.

'Nothings' going anywhere,' he told her, looking back down. 'It's finished between us, like it was yesterday and how it's gonna be tomorrow.'

His Chrono ticked away next to his left hand. There was a senior team meeting in ten minutes, the first time the whole Bridge Team and he will be together since Daniel had come along.

Several weeks had passed since that day; Carol was now well into her pregnancy, Daniel was growing a little more each day and Jim was getting himself sorted out. He saw Daniel as much as he could and had him over one night every two weeks. They were all getting along ok.

Nyota clucked her tongue, the noise surprising Daniel, who giggled.

'I think it's a shame,' she said, looking sadly at Bones, who avoided her eyes. 'You two were good together.'

'Nyota, sweetheart, I appreciate all this, but it's just not gonna happen.' Said Bones, packing his Padd away. 'There's an old earth saying, I think. 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.' Besides, he's with Carol. They're happy together.'

'And what about you, Leo. Are you happy?'

'I've got Daniel.' Said Bones simply, standing up. 'I am happy.'

It had been a shock to everyone when Jim and Leo had broken up, Nyota reflected. After Khan, everyone had expected Starfleet's Golden Couple to bounce straight back up again, especially with what Leo had risked to bring Jim back from the dead. But within weeks, Leo had moved back into a 'fleet apartment and Carol had moved in with Jim. Regaining his space legs. That was what Jim had said. Not much more than that had been said and Nyota had found it hard to watch Leo's despair, especially as Jim and Carol began to flourish.

'I've asked Chris to watch Daniel while we're at the meeting.' Said Bones, moving forwards to take Daniel- the baby snuggled into the familiar warmth of his father.

Nyota nodded, picking up her Padd and following him out the door. Christine waited there, smiling as she took Daniel, his pudgy hand reaching out to grasp her offered finger.

'Should be about an hour.' Bones told her, kissing his son on the head and making his way to the door.

'Sure thing, doc.' She replied, 'see you later,'

Nyota smiled as Bones gave them a wave; he might be a bit grumpy sometimes, but you couldn't ask for a nicer man.

'Coming?' Bones waited for her just outside the door.

Nyota walked out to meet him and they made their way to the meeting together.

-x-

'So, we're a fair few months into this Mission,' started Jim, looking around the table at his team. 'So far, so good I'd say.'

Bones let out a soft snort, disguised it as a cough and didn't say anything.

Jim ignored him.

When Bones had walked into the room earlier, the first thing he had noticed was how big Carol had got. Pregnancy did seem to suit her, he thought. She looked happy enough. Relaxed. They had exchanged polite nods of greeting, but no words had been shared between them. Carol had been clasping protective hands around his bump all meeting, as though scared for her unborn child's safety.

'As I'm sure you can all see,' Jim motioned to Carol at his side, who beamed at everyone. 'Carol and I are to have a baby. A little boy.

Anyone with eyes could see this had been true, but there was still a flurry of congratulations and cheers, as though Jim had just revealed a huge secret. Carol soaked it up.

'A wee brother for wee Danny Boy.' Grinned Scotty, shaking Jim's hand.

Jim and Bones cast quick looks back at Carol. Neither of them missed the expression on her face, a mixture of despair and resignation. Scotty took the hint and sat back down again.

Bones nodded politely at the couple- his mama raised him right. Jim shot him a thankful look.

'So,' continued the Captain, 'we're due to refuel and pick up extra medical supplies in two days' time from Starbase 18. Please make sure all inventories are completed by then and sent accordingly.' Jim looked around at his team again. Chekov and Sulu sat there, watching intently, while Uhura sat next to Spock, who was writing down minutes of the meeting.

'That will be all.' He concluded.

As everyone started to pack up and make their ways to the exits, Bones shared another look with Jim, thinking about what Nyota had said earlier. But he dismissed the idea and turned to speak to Scotty, who he saw was talking to Carol.

'So that's two space babies now,' he was saying, 'You never hear of one happening, then two come along at once.'

Carol smiled sweetly at him. 'Oh no, Mr Scott.' She said, looking back to where Jim and Bones were standing. 'Our son isn't going to be born in space. Arrangements are being made for an Earth birth.'

Bones looked sideways at Jim- judging by the look on his face, this was news to him, too.

'Oh right…' stammered Scotty, turning pink. 'Good idea too, lassie.'

Carol nodded to him as he turned and left. She was about to leave herself when Jim called to her. 'Carol, can you wait a few minutes please.'

They might be in a relationship, but Jim was still her Commanding Officer.

Carol did as asked and Jim turned to Bones.

'If you could-' he motioned to the door.

Bones nodded. 'Aye, sir.'

As Bones walked down the corridors, he thought about the meeting.

He didn't envy Carol in that conversation, he thought as he reached Medical.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jim has some deep introspection and Bones is the calm voice of reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's taken me a long time to come back to this story. My confidence in writing took a huge knock last time I was here and I'm sorry to say it stopped my writing for a long time. Recently, I've got back into it, and I've always meant to come back to this one, which is one of my own personal favourites. I told myself to rewrite it completely, and reading it through, I decided against it. Yes, maybe Carol is ooc. But that's how I've written her. The vast majority of commenters agreed with and supported me and my characterisation. I should've listened to them instead of the few negative comments I received.   
> Sorry for the ramble, just had to get that out there. And sorry for taking so long to come back.  
> I hope you enjoy!

Jim scrubbed a hand down his tired face. After finding out that Carol had arranged to board a shuttle at Starbase 18 and head back to Earth to prepare for the birth, he had been trying to persuade her not to, to stay in space an extra few months; it would take her months to get back to Earth in any case, and Transmitting herself was not an option either, for their son's safety if nothing else. 

But Carol was adamant; her baby was not going to be born in space. She was not raising a baby on a Starship, she had told him last night, after their civil discussion had dissolved into heated shouting. She had already looked into dirtside postings, she told him, and had found a research lab job in New York, which she could settle into after the baby was born. Jim had to admire her; she had it all figured out. But Space was his home, it was his job, his mission.   
Jim fingered the leather of his Captain's Chair. Was he being selfish? Should he resign, take a teaching job back on earth and leave all this behind? It wasn't that easy. Besides, he already had one son here and somehow he didn't think Bones would be happy following them back to Earth either. Could he leave Daniel? 

Gamma shift had started a couple of hours ago, and the skeleton crew was murmuring quietly to themselves. He had no reason to still be here; he had been on shift now for over eighteen hours. But he couldn't face another argument tonight, and it wasn't good for Carol to be getting angry all the time. Sighing, he stood up and stretched, his neck cracking. He nodded to Ensign Heaver, who smiled back, and left via the lift. 

The Enterprise hummed peacefully under his feet as he made his way through her depths, his shoes hitting the metal in a comforting rhythm. He often went for walks in the dead of night, when his insomnia hit, or the nightmares became too much. It was either walk for miles or hit the whisky and Jim was not going down that route again. After Khan, his mind was filled with an empty black numbness; he couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, not without remembering the burning heat, the smell of the Warp Core, the hotness of the glass under his palm. His days blended into one another and not even Bones could pull him out of it. Every time he thought about heading back into Space, even the very mention of the black stuff, it would send his heart racing. Bones was more than happy to stay on Earth, told him that he would be there whatever Jim's decision. But that wasn't what Jim had needed; he wanted, needed, to go back, to fly amongst the stars again. Without Space, he thought, he was nothing. But Bones refused to push him, his patience and kindness grating on Jim, who deep down, knew the Doctor only wanted to help. Carol, in contrast, bright and happy that she was, with blue eyes that twinkled, had taken his hand, pulled him off his knees and back to where he belonged. And he clung to her, as if his very survival depended on their touch. So Jim pushed Bones away and followed Carol. And Carol had fallen for him in ways Jim couldn't reciprocate; he loved her as a friend, and was deeply ashamed of himself that he had lowered his guard on some lonely nights, taken advantage of her affections. And their unborn son was the result. He didn't regret the outcome, not one bit; he owed it to Carol to try and make things work. Perhaps he was being selfish....  
Deep in thought, the captain rounded a corner and walked straight into Bones, pushing Daniel out in front of him in a pram.  
'Jesus Jim! You almost gave me a goddammed heart attack!'  
'Likewise.'  
Jim studied the Doctor. He was clearly sleeping better; his eyes weren't ringed with black tonight and he was neatly shaved, brown eyes sparkling despite the late hour. His stomach flipped, and he looked away.  
Bones smiled at him, motioning down at their sleeping son. 'Just got him off. Only taken me two hours tonight; some kind of record, I think.'  
Jim grinned back. 'He's getting big.'  
Bones hummed in agreement and watched the Captain. In contrast to himself, Jim clearly looked to be in need of a long sleep, and perhaps a shower, too.  
'How're things, Jim?'  
Jim shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. 'Good, things are good.'  
Bones raised an eyebrow.  
'Okay maybe not good, but fine.'  
Bones didn't move.  
'Okay, fine! Things are terrible. Carol's found a job back in Earth, wants to leave this ship as fast as she can, never to return, she's going to take my son with her, and I don't know what to do.'  
Bones listened calmly to his little tirade.   
'Well what do you want to do?' He asked. Jim scoffed and looked out the porthole opposite them.   
'Whatever I do, someone is going to get hurt,' he said, more to himself than Bones.   
'You're well and truly stuck between a rock and a hard place there, Jim.' the doctor told him.  
'Gee, thanks.'  
'You're very welcome.'  
Jim had missed this, this batting backwards and forwards between them. How he wished he could change things back to the way things were. But he couldn't. And now he had to deal with it. 

'Look, Jim. I gotta get back. But you ever need to talk, you know where I am. And I just wanna say this; whatever you choose, I ain't gonna punish you for it. I can't see you going back to Earth and sitting dirtside, but maybe you'll surprise me. Whatever you choose, Daniel and I will be there. Just do one things for me. Don't forget Daniel, cos none of this is his fault.'  
Jim blinked back tears that warmed his eyes. 'Thanks, Bones.' he croaked.  
Bones smiled at him and reached over Daniel, nestled between them, and gripped Jim's shoulder. Jim brought his hand up to cover the doctors and squeezed. Bones then nodded and turned away. Jim watched him go, heart aching with emotion.  
He took a deep breath and turned, making his way to the Observatory.

He had a lot of thinking to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pleas let me know what you think! :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crew have some bonding time with Daniel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thank you so much for your kind comments! I promise to reply to them all individually :) They mean a lot to me.  
> Chekov's Russian phrase translates to astonishing/amazing.

'Am I right in thinking, doctor, that babies eyes stay the same size their entire lives? That's why babies eyes are so huge when they're born.'  
Bones regarded Chekov wearily. 'No, son. Babies eyes grow just the same as all their other parts.'  
'Oh. I read that somewhere-'  
'You don't have huge eyes, do you? No you don't, don't you listen to the crazy Russian.' Sulu addressed the baby in his arms, who smiled lazily up at him.  
'In Russia, we were told that-'  
'Never mind that,' Sulu shifted Daniel in his arms, the baby reaching up to his face with pudgy fingers. 'I think it's your turn.'  
Chekov's eyes widened in alarm and Bones grinned at him.

It had been several days since his last meeting with Jim and in the meantime Bones had given Carol her latest scan; Geoffrey had been unexpectedly pulled into emergency surgery. It was a supremely awkward affair, but they behaved like adults and no crossed words were had. Carol seemed very pleasant and had chatted a little about Daniel and how difficult parenthood was. They said goodbye peacefully, and Bones hadn't seen her since.  
The doctor had some medical reports to give the Captain and had brought Daniel along with him to get the baby out of medbay for a while, which was quickly becoming his home from home.  
Daniel had been passed from person to person while they waited for Jim to return from his meeting, the little boys eyes flicking around the room. Janice had given him his bottle and cooed as Daniel held her finger and gurgled. Only Spock had kept out of the way; Bones was determined to corner the green-blooded hobgoblin one of these days and force a cuddle on him.  
Daniel let out an ear-piercing shriek and Chekov gulped in alarm, muttering nervously in rapid Russian.

'He's not gonna bite you.' Bones took Daniel from Sulu, who smiled happily; Bones was sure he would make a great father one day. He rocked Daniel gently to calm him.  
Chekov looked at him and licked his lips. 'I've just never held one before.'  
'It's easy. Just hold out your arms.'  
Sulu demonstrated and Chekov watched raptly before copying.  
'And you just hold him there; he can hold his own head up now, but still be careful it doesn't fall back.'  
'And what if it does?' asked Chekov worriedly, but Bones just smiled and leant forwards.  
Muttering again, Chekov gingerly accepted Daniel, who wriggled against his chest as the Ensign held him close. Daniel stopped and looked up at Pavel, who gazed down in awe.  
'He's so small.'  
Bones nodded and sat heavily in a chair next to him. 'He was smaller, believe it or not.'  
Chekov continued to look down, and reached with his other hand to tickle Daniel under the chin.  
'He likes it if you stroke his hair.'  
Chekov ran his fingers through his blonde hair, fingering the small curls there. Daniel huffed contentedly in his arms and yawned.  
'Undivitel'nyy' murmured Chekov as he watched Daniel fall asleep. His attention was suddenly caught by the lift door opening and closing and he looked up.  
'Captain on the Bridge!' he shouted. Daniel immediately woke up, startled by the shout and the Ensign swore as he screamed in protest, big tears rolling down his face.  
Bones looked around as Jim headed over to the console, eyes concerned at the sound of crying.  
'He's ok' he reassured the Captain, who nodded and continued staring at his son. 'Chekov made him jump, that's all.'  
'Right.' Jim replied. 'Can I?' He motioned with his arms.  
Bones looked between Jim and his son. 'You never have to ask, Jim.' he said quietly. He and Jim shared a look as the Captain reached down and picked his wriggling, screaming son up. The baby immediately quieted, brown eyes sensing a familiar body close by.  
'Did that nasty man make you cry?' cooed Jim, jiggling him. He winked at Chekov to indicate no hard feelings and turned to the screen in front of him, stars whooshing past at Warp Speed.  
Bones watched with warmth in his heart as Jim continued to talk to their son. He knew Jim would be good at this. He turned to scratch his arm and caught Uhura staring at him from across the room. He knew what she was thinking, what she wanted from him. He turned away, and looked at his watch.  
'Jim, we gotta head back. I only came up here to give you the last batch of immunisation reports.'  
'What? Yeah, yeah. Sure.' Jim reluctantly handed his son back over and bent down to kiss his head. Daniel was fast asleep again. Bones gently prised his fingers off Jim's yellow Command shirt. 'See you soon, little man.' The Captain murmured.  
'You know where to find him.' Bones said softly as he secured Daniel in the carrier across his chest.  
Jim nodded and smiled. 'I know.'  
Bones nodded and turned to say goodbye to Sulu and Chekov, who smiled back.  
Bones made his way to the door, pressing for the lift. He looked back and nodded at Jim, who smiled back.  
The Captain sank into his chair as the lift closed. His arms still felt baby warm.  
He realised he hadn't said anything in a while and looked around; all eyes were on him.  
'Mr Sulu,' he barked, everyone's eyes shooting forwards. 'How far from our heading?'  
'We should arrive at Starfleet Planet Xanas in a little over 48 hours, sir.'  
'Good.'  
A mission. That's what they all needed. Something to focus on. They hadn't had a mission objective since the Reproduction base all those weeks ago. Nearly two months had passed.  
Jim was biting at the bit. He was ready for this.  
He looked down at his electronic diary feed- out. He would have time after his shift to pop in to see Daniel, if he hurried.  
In his opinion, end of shift couldn't come fast enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As this fic is set before Beyond, and I'm not sure of the timelines, Sulu hasn't yet got a daughter and husband.  
> Please let me know what you think :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Spock becomes an unwilling babysitter, they discover worrying news about an upcoming mission and Carol is given a difficult task.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued support, I hope you enjoy this latest offering...

'He has good....facial features.'  
Jim almost choked. Daniel snuffled on the couch next to him, his hand in his mouth. Teething was not going down well with the tiny boy; he was grumpy all the time. 'Is that really all you can say?'  
Spock nodded and looked at the Captain. 'Captain,' he said, 'I really don't see the need for him to stay here. Surely he will be perfectly alright by himself.'  
'Spock, he's not old enough to be left on his own, and besides, Uhura will be back any minute. I really need to get to this briefing- Bones is in surgery right now.' The M-Class Planet they were heading to, Xanas, was emitting some very peculiar readings. Some sort of medical distress signal, repeated over and over. Jim was about to converse with Starfleet about a possible course of action. They were only 12 hours away and time was of the essence.  
'But I was under the understanding I would be needed at the meeting also.'  
Jim flapped a hand and stood up, Spock following. 'I can handle it. Ten minutes, and I'll be back. I really need to go.'  
'Captain!'  
But Jim had already left.  
Spock turned silently on the spot and stared at the small human in his living quarters. Daniel stared back at him. Spock lifted an eyebrow. Daniel giggled. Having been to a few briefings himself, Spock knew full well that Jim was going to be more than ten minutes. And Uhura was still scheduled to be in the gym for at least another half an hour.  
Daniel bit down on his small hand, aggravating his sore gums. His blonde hair was stuck in strands to his forehead and his face was red from where he'd been crying. He let out a whimper and scrunched his face up.  
Spock watched him in alarm, breath held, waiting for the inevitable. Daniel opened his mouth and let out a pitiful cry, which quickly ratcheted up to a full blown crescendo.  
What to do now? Rationally assessing the situation, Spock remembered watching the Captain and doctor in similar situations. He moved forwards and gripped Daniel under the arms, holding him out at arms length. Still Daniel screamed. So Spock moved him closer and awkwardly moved his arms up and down, as he remembered Dr McCoy once saying he liked to be 'jiggled.' He had no idea if this was a 'jiggle' or not, but it would have to do. It didn't make any difference to the small human, and Spock glared at him, mind whirring. Surely he did not make as much noise as this when he was small? He could never remember his mother telling him so. He held Daniel closer, but the baby arched up and kicked his legs angrily.  
'If you don't stop, I shall put you down again. You do not possess words to tell me what is wrong and I do not possess the means to understand. So, please. If you could stop, I would be grateful.'  
Daniel hiccuped and stopped, face wet with tears. He coughed and Spock touched his head. 'Better.' he told the little boy.  
Spock heard a soft laugh from the doorway. He had not heard Nyota return. He turned to face her, Daniel held in his arms. Nyota had a smile on her face he had seen before, and he sensed what she was thinking.  
'See,' she said, walking forwards and kissing his cheek. 'You're good with children.'  
'Nyota, we've talked about this.'  
'I know, I know.'  
Nyota sat on the couch, Spock taking his place next to her. His eyes widened as Daniel shimmied towards her, pudgy hands reaching. Uhura smiled and took him, Daniel immediately snuggling into her shoulder.  
They sat silently for a few moments.  
'It is not that I do not want children. I just believe we need to be settled first.' Spock broke the silence.  
'You mean on Earth?' Nyota turned to him, her fingers carding through Daniel's hair. 'You'll consider it after this Mission?' They had discussed having children before, and Spock had always refused point blank. After a while, he had even refused to discuss it at all.  
Spock nodded. 'Or New Vulcan. Somewhere that is home. I have seen the pain and confusion of Doctors McCoy and Marcus, and the Captain. I would not like that for us. And three years into Deep Space is not ideal.'  
Nyota hummed and nodded, 'I agree.'  
'Perhaps we can resume this conversation at a later, more convenient date?'  
'I think that'll be a great idea.' Spock reached over and clasped her hand in his.  
'Captain to Spock.'  
The speaker on the desk chimed and Spock rose to answer it. 'Spock here.'  
'Spock, you gotta get up here. Bones is on his way. The Planet is in trouble.'  
Spock and Uhura exchanged looks before they both left the room, Daniel held tight in her arms. 

They pass many crew-members on their way to the Conference Room and hurry inside. The Bridge Team are already assembled, but Dr McCoy wasn't there yet. Carol was sat at the table, her pregnant stomach swollen. Her due date was in just over four months. She looked content, to Spock's eyes, but he noticed she was not sat next to the Captain. He knew Carol had taken her Maternity Leave early, and started it tomorrow. He and Nyota took their seats. Daniel was staring around the room, hazel eyes wide. Jim smiled at him as he passed, and he let Nyota sit with him.  
'We're just waiting on Bones, then we'll begin.' Jim looked steely, and Spock wondered what this was about.  
The door opened and Bones hurried in. 'Sorry I'm late.' he huffed, taking his seat next to Carol. He wasn't sat for long before Daniel noticed him and let out a cry, arms held out.  
Jim didn't speak until Bones had retrieved their son and sat back down. Jim forced the fond smile off his face.  
'Starfleet has translated the distress signal from Xanas.' he told them. 'It appears that the Planet is populated with a species not far off human. Very tall, almost transparent skin. Same lifespan, medical needs. Very simple lifestyle.'  
'You said something about a distress signal?' Sulu leant forwards. Jim nodded.  
'Turns out several decades ago they had an outbreak of some kind of plague. It's mutated itself every few years, which means they haven't been able to treat it. Doctor McCoy is to lead a medical team down, accompanied by Security. With our medical advancements, it should only take a couple of days. I will coordinate from the Bridge. Uhura I need you to learn and translate instructions to the few natives who are left. The rest of you are to remain on Shift until Bones gets back.'  
'Sorry to put a spanner in it.' Bones shook Daniel gently, his son grabbing at his nose and face. 'But I can't take Daniel down with me, and you can't look after him if you're on the Bridge. Everyone will be on full alert and duty.'  
Jim hadn't considered this. He looked around the room. Bones was right, everyone would be on Duty the next two days. Everyone except one.  
Carol looked back at him and raised her eyebrows. 'I don't think that's appropriate, sir. Do you?'  
Everyone's eyes flicked back to Jim. He cleared his throat.  
'It's not ideal, I agree. But it's our only option. I understand this is not in your job description, but as we don't require a weapons expert for this mission and you stop official duties tomorrow, it really is the best alternative.'  
'I respectfully disagree, sir.'  
Jim gave Carol a pained look and softened his voice. 'Please don't make me order you.'  
Carol looked affronted and her cheeks tinged pink. 'Yes sir. Of course.'  
Jim nodded his thanks and turned back to the Team, who quickly looked at him. Bones, he noticed, looked uneasy.  
'Mission Objectives will be forwarded to you all in due course. We're almost eleven hours out of orbit. I suggest we use the next eight hours to rest and reconvene before we hit orbit. That will be all.'

Everyone stood and prepared to file out; Carol was out the door first. Bones lingered and caught Jim's eyes, Daniel fidgeting in his arms.  
The doctor spoke as soon as the door clicked shut. 'Are you out of your mind? This is completely unfair on her!'  
'Do you think I want to do this to her? There is no other option, you can see that. It's not as if there's a crèche on board we can drop him off to!'  
Bones sighed and looked away. It was above his pay grade to argue with Jim about this.  
Jim reached out and took Daniel's hand, his son reaching for him and dribbling. 'She's doing really well,' he said softly. 'We went for another scan and it all seems good with the baby.'  
'And planet side?'  
'Carol still wants the Admiral's permission to Beam back to Earth. They need to deliberate for a few weeks before any decision can be made.'  
Bones scoffed. 'She'd have given birth by then.'  
'That's what I told her.' He paused. 'She still wants me to go with her.'  
'And what do you want?'  
Jim looked at him, but was interrupted before he could reply.  
'Captain, Starfleet are hailing us.'  
'Right away, Mr Sulu.'  
Jim nodded once to Bones before leaving the room, leaving the Doctor alone with his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Carol spends some time with Daniel, and Jim watches over Bones and his team as they venture down to Xanas.

Carol sat on the couch, hands clasped around her stomach. Just over five months gone, she was starting to feel the unwanted effects of pregnancy; her ankles were swollen, her breasts ached and she was feeling emotional about everything. After Jim had dropped the bombshell of baby-sitting duties on her, Carol had returned to her room biting back tears. She had felt, and still did really, victimised by this decision. She no more wanted to look after Daniel than she wanted to go down to the plague planet. But she did understand the reasons and had pulled herself together. It was only two days maximum, after all, and she and Jim had looked after Daniel overnight several times before now. But this was going to be the first time she was left alone with him and she felt nervous. But she kept telling herself this would be invaluable practice for when her child arrived.   
Carol smoothed the arms of the couch as the door chimed; she got to her feet and opened the door, a smile forced on her face. Doctor McCoy stood there, a sleeping Daniel in a carrier in one hand, a blue backpack slung over the other shoulder. He had the decency to look uneasy, she thought, and she felt herself soften.  
'Come in, Doctor McCoy.'  
'Bones. You can call me Bones if you like. Or Leo, if you prefer.'  
Carol followed him in and watched as he very gently rested Daniel on the floor. The baby snuffled, wrinkling his nose in his sleep.  
'Leo, then.'  
Bones smiled and put the backpack on the table. 'Everything he needs is in here. Food, his milk, diapers. Some toys. If you need anything else, Jim knows the code to my quarters.'  
'I'm sure he does.'  
Bones cleared his throat, looking at her with sympathetic brown eyes. 'Look, I understand this is hard for you. Hell, it's downright unfair, is what it is. But I wouldn't want him to go anywhere else. He knows you, he knows this place. He'll feel safer here. No one else has taken care of him 'cept you, Jim and Christine. I want you to know I really appreciate it.'

Carol clicked her tongue. 'What's the old saying? Better the devil you know?'  
Bones looked at her uneasily, but smirked when he saw her smile. 'Something like that.'   
Carol watched him as he bent and knelt on the floor, leaning in to kiss his son on the cheek. 'You be good, little man.' she heard him whisper. 'I'll see you real soon.'  
Carol followed him back to the door and held it open for him. 'When do you leave?'  
'Immediately. I'm just off to meet the Security Team and head down. Should be a quick mission, if Scotty can get us down there in one piece.' He grimaced.  
'You'll be fine.' Bones' fear of using the transporter was well known.  
'Thanks.'  
Carol watched as he walked away down the corridor, glad they didn't drag out the goodbye. She needed time, and Bones still wasn't her favourite person right now. She walked slowly back into her rooms, sitting back down and stared at Daniel.  
She still felt hurt, deeply so, that she couldn't give Jim his firstborn. That some freak machine accident had robbed her of that. But, she knew, it wasn't Daniel's fault. Thinking back, she knew her hurt and anger had come out the wrong way, and that she's said some awful things. Some things she meant, some she didn't. There was no way, in her mind, that she was raising a child in space. Her mother hadn't raised her in space, and had herself left for London when her husband refused to follow her from Starfleet. If she had to raise their child without Jim, she would.  
Caught up in her thoughts, Carol didn't notice Daniel wake, the small child stretching and blinking, confused by waking in a different place than he'd fallen asleep in. Carol did notice when he let out a small whimper, cheeks flushed.  
'Hello, sleepyhead.' she murmured, leaning forward and unbuckling him from the carrier. He stretched again, curling back up, his head on her shoulder. Carol sat still, letting his sleepy warmth envelope her, the heat radiating against her neck from Daniel's sweaty hair. She looked at him as he pulled his head back, brown eyes watching finding hers. At just over five and half months old, he was getting big and she held her breath as he reached out to her with pincer like fingers, locking onto her hair. As the time stretched out, Carol felt something tickle her nose. She turned to the side and let out a sneeze, her whole body shuddering. Daniel was shocked into a giggle. Carol grinned as he gave her a gummy smile. 'You think that's funny, do you?'  
She faked another sneeze and giggled herself as Daniel started to laugh hysterically, high pitched sounds filling the room. She did it again, and again, and each time Daniel screamed with laughter, eyes wide, mouth open. Carol laughed along with him and time seemed to stand still, just her and Daniel, laughing together over her fake sneezes.

-X-  
Jim watched as the red life sign dots moved across the screen, showing that Bones and the team were still alive. Stifling a yawn, he stood and rolled his neck. Just over twenty four hours into the mission and he was ready to drop. Beta shift was coming in to cover the night shift; Bones had commed earlier to say that he and the team were being treated well and had been given accommodation for the night. The mission was going well; they had developed the cure and were currently rolling it out and had started teaching the locals how to treat themselves. The first sign of the Plague, they had discovered, was an almost uncontrollable nosebleed, followed by extreme fatigue and muscle weakness. About 24 hours in isolation, to be on the safe side and several doses of Bones' antidote, and there was a 100% survival rate. So far, Jim had been assured, so good. The cure was doing its job. And plus the fact it was only passed on through direct blood contamination, it was hard to catch.  
Jim had commed Carol earlier, asking how she was getting on. Carol had replied she was fine, and that she had just got Daniel off to sleep after something to eat. She seemed upbeat, he thought, and he nodded to the beta team as he passed them out the door.  
Spock followed him, and they rode the lift together.  
'How are you, Spock?' asked Jim, looking at his First Officer.  
'Well, sir. And yourself?'  
'Fine. All fine. The cure is going well. Bones might even finish up early.'  
'Good news, Captain.'  
Jim nodded and exited the lift at the accommodation deck. Spock followed, before heading down a separate corridor, Jim knew, to Nyota's room. Jim smiled to himself before reaching his own room, and he keyed himself in.  
When he went inside, the noise hit him at once. Carol was stood in the middle of the room, a screaming, almost catatonic Daniel in her arms, a harried look on her face.  
'I can't get him to stop.' She told him, before shushing Daniel again. 'We've had a lovely day, he was asleep, he had a poo, I was just changing his nappy....'  
'Hey hey, it's ok.' Jim calmed her and held her head between his hands. 'Give him to me.'  
Carol gratefully handed him over and Jim took him, holding him close to his chest. Still Daniel cried.   
'Hey there, little man. What's all this crying for? Carol couldn't let you sleep with an explosion in your diaper, now could she?' Jim spoke nonsense to him for a few minutes, slipping in and out of alien languages. Daniel quietened a little, but still sobbed, tears falling from his eyes.  
'Bones can get him to stop just like that,' Jim clicked his fingers. Carol smiled tiredly and sat on the couch, reaching for her now cold cup of tea.  
Soon, Jim had lulled his son into sleep, Daniel snoring contentedly on his shoulder. 'Phew.' grinned Jim, putting him back in his travel cot they kept in the corner of the room. Daniel snuffled, reaching for his cuddly giraffe Bones had found for him, and slept on.  
Carol stood and walked over to Jim, leaning her tired head on his shoulder. Jim turned and planted a dry kiss to her hair.   
'Tough day, huh?'  
Carol sighed and moved to the replicator for a fresh cup of tea. 'It was okay. He's a good boy.'  
'Yes he is. Just like his dad'  
Carol scoffed and wisely didn't say anything. She left Jim to watch over his son while she went for a shower, groaning as she massaged her stomach. She was just towelling her hair when Jim burst in, worry etched on his face.  
'Bones and the rest of them have just beamed up.' He told her hurriedly.  
Carol looked him in the eye, grounding him. 'What's wrong, Jim?'  
'Bones has a nosebleed. They can't get it to stop.'  
Carol held her hand over her mouth. 'Oh my God.' she whispered.  
'They're quarantining him now.'  
'You go, I'll stay with Daniel.'  
'He'll be 24 hours in isolation. More if he develops complications.' Jim told her as he pulled his boots back on. 'Daniel'll have to stay here.'  
'Don't worry about that now. Just go.'  
Jim planted a distracted kiss on her cheek in thanks as he hurried out of the room.

Carol pulled on her dressing gown and sat on the couch, continuing her watch over the sleeping boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the commenters who had noticed that Daniel's eye colour had changed mid-chapter. My mistake, and this had been corrected now.   
> Please let me know what you think! :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jim catches up with Bones and Carol gives the Captain an ultimatum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it's been a long time! Sorry about that!  
> I'll make no promises to update frequently, but I've recently uncovered my plans for this, so who knows what'll happen!  
> I hope you enjoy!

Leonard held the bloody rag on his face, squeezing the bridge of his nose. Useless, he knew; the nosebleed would ebb itself out after a while, but one sensation he never did like was blood pouring from his nostrils. It was sentiment that had got him; a planet inhabitant, a mother with worry etched across her features had run up to him and his team as they were preparing to leave and transport back the ship. She had thrust her infant at him, the girl’s face slick with fresh blood. It was either take her in his arms or drop her on the ground to avoid infection. He made the only choice he could. Ignoring the horrified looks of his fellow Medical Officers, he cradled the crying girl in his arms, palming away the blood as it threatened to obstruct her mouth. It took him minutes to apply the necessary treatment, and he hypo’d the antidote into her arm. The mother nodded her thanks and rasped something in a dialect he didn’t understand. Bones made sure she and her child were quarantined and then went to clean up before they left. He didn’t notice the tiny cut on his right thumb and didn’t feel any different until one of the Security team pointed out the blood dripping down his face. 

‘Bones.’ Jim’s voice rang out of the communicator he had balanced on his knee, echoing in the silence. ‘How’re you doing?’  
‘Peachy,’ grunted Bones, replacing the gauze with a fresh one, ‘Never better. Can’t remember the last time I felt this good.’  
Jim chuckled and Bones found his insides warming up in a way that had nothing to do with the infection in his blood.   
‘Your Staff Nurse tells me you cleaned up a native. Without gloves.’ Jim clicked his tongue. ‘Medical Procedure 101 you always told me. Always wear gloves when dealing with bodily fluids.’  
Bones huffed. ‘Didn’t have much choice. Anyway, damage done. Lesson learnt. 24 hours in here and I’ll be fine. How’s Daniel?’  
Jim caught the worry etched in his tone. ‘Don’t worry,’ he quipped, ‘Carol hasn’t flushed him out the airlock.’  
‘Jim!’   
Jim winced as Bones shouted through the Comm. ‘Don’t you talk about Carol like that. She may not be Daniel’s number one fan, but she sure in hell ain’t vindictive!’  
‘Okay okay! Jeeze, Bones. It was just a joke.’  
‘Not funny, Jimbo.’  
Bones stretched his legs out and looked out the porthole, before looking away quickly. 24 hours cooped up in Medical Quarantine; he had been beamed directly into his room from the planet’s surface.   
‘Seriously now. How is our boy?’  
Jim was sat in the Captain’s Office and he looked out onto the same stars Bones had just turned away from. ‘He’s fine. Sleeping now, I think.’ The young captain sighed and stood, twisting his back to knock out the kinks. ‘He’s a good boy. Like his Dad. Grumpy, but cute at the same time.’  
Bones laughed warmly. ‘More like you, you mean. Loud and brash, but all soft and gooey in the middle.’  
Jim couldn’t help the bark of laughter that erupted then, and he sat on the edge of his desk.   
‘Carol got the birthing report through today from ‘Fleet Medical.’  
Bones sat up straighter, prodding at his nose. ‘And?’  
Carol had requested to be Transported back to Earth to give birth and had been waiting anxiously for Medical’s decision.   
‘The said no. They refused due to lack of evidence that it’ll do no harm to the baby.’  
Bones hummed in agreement. ‘That is true. They’ll transport both when your child is born?’  
‘Yeah.’ Jim sighed. ‘Carol’s dead set on moving back to Earth.’  
‘Give it time.’ Bones soothed.   
‘Yeah.’ Jim looked at his watch. ‘I better be getting back; Spock’s taking over.’  
‘Told ya he would.’  
‘Night, Bones.’  
‘Goodnight, Jim.’  
-x-  
His quarters were dark and silent when he entered. If he stood there and really listened, Jim could hear rhythmic breathing and little huffs of breath; he would recognise his sleeping son anywhere. He tiptoed over to the crib and looked down, his face splitting into a smile as the lights from the solar system mobile lit up his blond hair. Daniels’ blond hair reflected his own, and Jim gazed down at his dreaming son.  
‘How’s Leo?’  
Jim looked to see Carol silhouetted in the doorway. ‘Leo?’ he repeated, a smile tugging his lips.  
Carol flapped a dismissive hand. ‘Is he ok?’ She moved to sit on the couch, cradling her bump.  
‘He’ll be fine. More worried about Daniel than he is about himself. He’s counting down the hours.’  
‘Jim-‘  
‘Carol-  
Carol smiled at him, eyes crinkling.  
‘We need to talk.’  
‘Yes we do.’ Jim eased himself down on a chair opposite her and leaned forwards.  
‘I’m not raising our child in space. You may want that for Daniel, but I don’t want it for my child.’  
‘Don’t I get a say in this?’ Jim asked.  
‘Surely you want what’s best?’  
‘Of course I do, but I can’t-‘  
‘Won’t you mean. You ‘won’t’ give up space to raise our child.’  
‘I was born in space!’  
‘Yes, born. Not raised.’  
Jim flapped a hand at her and leaned back in the chair. ‘Semantics.’  
‘No, not semantics! There’s a huge difference between being born in space and being raised in space. I AM going back to Earth and I AM taking our child with me.’  
The silence echoed around Carol’s last words.   
‘And what if I say no? What if, as Captain, I refuse your request of leave?’ Jim spoke lowly and quietly, his heart thumping as he clutched at desperate straws. Anything to keep his children with him, to give them both the father he never had. He knew he wouldn’t leave space, he couldn’t. If only he could make Carol see….  
Carol narrowed her eyes at him, steel replacing her tired features. ‘You wouldn’t.’ She whispered. ‘You wouldn’t do that to me. To our child.’  
‘I can’t choose between my children.’ Jim told her, ‘I just can’t.’  
‘You’re going to have to. I know this isn’t Daniel or our child’s fault. You need to choose what you’re doing. Stay with McCoy or come with me.’ Carol was nearly in tears as she implored him.  
Jim said nothing; his brain was full of white noise, his heart thumping so hard he could hear it in his ears. He stood up and strode into the bedroom before grabbing a clean uniform. ‘I’m sleeping in Bones’ quarters.’ he announced, gently picking Daniel up and cradling the boy.   
He stopped when he reached the door.  
‘I’m sorry.’   
Carol said nothing and watched him go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know your thoughts! :D


End file.
